The Blog

I know I am totally biased, but I think I have super adorable children. SmallStu has always been a cutie-pie. So has TinyStu.

For a while now, we at home, have noticed he goes crossed eyed a lot. And all year at school his teachers told me he would get really close to his papers... and they thought he might need glasses. So I had his vision tested at the pediatrician's office at his 5 year check up.

The pediatrician said his vision is great.

But his teachers brought it up a few times after that. Our pediatrician suggested we go to an eye doc... the same one who popped open TinyStu's tear duct a few years ago.

This guy is so hard to get in to see. We had to wait a month. In that time, Stu and I had prepped him for glasses. We began by pointing out all of the people on TV or in the movies who wear them (with little kids, there is no difference between the actor and the character they portray). And by pure coincidence, his favorite radio DJ Bobby Bones has been talking a lot recently about the fact that he wears glasses. I think this helped him. He started to get real excited about the prospect of spectacles.

Actually, we were probably too successful in Operation: Glasses Are Cool because SmallStu told me today that she prays and prays every single day to God for glasses.

So the day came to take TinyStu to the eye doc. He was a character. No real surprise there. He's pretty much always a nut ball. The visit went something like this:

Nurse: Hey TinyStu. I need you to look at some stuff. Do you want to look at pictures or letters?

TinyStu (real offended): Letters. I am almost in kindergarten.

Nurse giggles and I roll my eyes.
TinyStu reads the letters the best he can. Nurse says his left eye is a little worse than the right, but no super huge deal. Doc will be in in a minute.
Nurse leaves the room.

TinyStu: Mom, oh I rrrrreeeeaaaalllllyyyy hope I get glasses.

Doc comes in. TinyStu is charming again. Doc thinks he's a character. Asks me what brings us in. I tell him all I have witnessed and about the teachers' concerns. He checks TinyStu out and then says it's time to dilate his eyes.

TinyStu is actually really well behaved during the eye drops. The nurse even comments on this. She is surprised and impressed there was no crying. TinyStu looks at her and says "I'm not a baby."

We go wait in the waiting room for a bit while the drops take their effect. TinyStu starts to get real bugged that he can't see anything.

The waiting room is pretty full. The doctor we are seeing is one of the best pediatric eye docs in our area. Anyway, in walks this really old lady... like wrinkly, gray hair, using a cane. Old. She hobbles in. Sits down and looks around. Then really loudly says "Why are there so many children here today? Is it free kid day?! I have never in my life seen so many children with eye problems."

She came alone. So I'm not sure who exactly she was speaking to. And I don't think the other parents knew either. People just kind of uncomfortably looked around. So she repeated it! Yes, said it again.

One parent is literally laughing in the corner, and I know it's not because his child did something comical. Again no one says anything.

So she said it a third time. I said "The pediatric doctor is here today." And another parent said basically the same thing to her only he was a little more ticked than I was. I was trying not to laugh... I was thinking "this lady has no filter; I wonder if she ever did. My money's on NO."

Old Lady was really offended that someone dared to speak to her in that tone. And that made me laugh. Thankfully we were called back at this exact moment. And the hag was gone when we walked back out.

Well, TinyStu did need glasses. The dilation caused him to lose control of his eyes and he was going cross-eyed crazy in the office with the doc.